" We’re not getting a good return on investment on all that money we’re pumping into the intelligence community. One of the first things I would suggest is that if there’s an attack and they fail to stop it or to alert us before it happens, that we ought to start cutting their budget, and for every attack they should lose ten percent of their budget. "
- William Binney

The quote essentially suggests that if intelligence agencies fail to prevent attacks or provide timely alerts about potential threats, their funding should be reduced as a consequence. This implies a strong belief that these organizations are underperforming and not delivering sufficient value for the resources allocated to them.

At its core, this statement highlights concerns over the efficiency and effectiveness of government spending on national security. It reflects frustration with the perceived lack of results from intelligence operations despite significant financial investments. The idea behind cutting budgets is to encourage better performance and accountability within these agencies. By penalizing failures through reduced funding, there may be an incentive for them to improve their predictive capabilities and operational efficiency. However, it also raises questions about whether budget cuts are a fair or effective means of driving change in complex organizations tasked with critical national security responsibilities.

William Binney is a former technical leader at the National Security Agency (NSA) who has become known as a whistleblower and critic of government surveillance programs and intelligence community practices. His expertise and insider perspective add weight to his critiques, making him a notable voice on matters concerning data privacy and intelligence operations within the United States.